"Make guns? What kind of joke is that?" Queen's face was full of disdain.
Beckman sighed in disappointment.
But Queen's next words instantly electrified him, filling him with renewed energy.
Queen, like a magician, pulled out a six-barrel Gatling machine gun from his bulging pocket, followed by a cigar and a pair of sunglasses.
After arming himself to the teeth, he looked down at Beckman with an arrogant expression and said:
"Are you insulting me? Making guns is child's play—I mastered that twenty, no, thirty years ago at a certain research facility. Look at this beauty in my hands—six rotating barrels, mechanical action. As long as you've got the strength, you can fire as long as you want. Using this baby to shoot virus-tipped arrows? Pure bliss!"
Beckman immediately grew tense and hurriedly asked, "Then can you make the kind that fires Haki bullets? With barrels so tough they won't explode even under ten, no, a hundred tons of pressure?"
Taking a drag from his cigar, Queen looked down at Beckman in astonishment.
"A hundred tons of pressure? Are you insane, Beckman? At that point, it's not a gun anymore—it's a Supreme Grade sword!"
Suddenly pausing mid-sentence as if struck by inspiration, Queen rummaged through his belly pocket for a long while before finally producing a two-meter-long metal pipe.
Beckman stared blankly at the massive black pipe in Queen's hands—complete with a scope, stock, and trigger.
"This... isn't actually a gun, is it?"
"This here's something I tinkered with back in North Blue... cough I mean, on some island when I had nothing better to do. Let me tell you, the material supposedly came from outer space—some ultra-durable metal, hard as Sea Stone. Fireproof, waterproof, you could toss it in lava for weeks and it wouldn't bat an eye."
Queen spun the long black firearm in his hands as he spoke.
Beckman's eyes locked onto the oversized weapon, his gaze unwavering.
The shrewd Queen noticed Beckman's intense stare and doubled down on his sales pitch.
"If firearms had rankings like Supreme Grade or Great Grade blades, this single-shot sniper rifle in my hands would absolutely be Supreme Grade! Works as a sniper rifle but can also smash heads like a blunt weapon—could go toe-to-toe with a Great Grade sword without a scratch."
"Could I..." Beckman reached out, fingers twitching toward the rifle.
Queen promptly stuffed the weapon back into his pocket, leaving Beckman's hand hanging in midair.
"Heh, listen Queen... you're not a sniper anyway. How about selling it to me? I'll give you ten million Berry!"
Rubbing his hands together eagerly, Beckman looked at Queen like he'd spotted an SSR-tier treasure.
Queen turned and walked away without another word, leaving Beckman standing alone in the plaza.
Sweating profusely in frustration, Beckman suddenly spotted Yasopp nearby and began frantically waving him over.
Yasopp approached, puzzled.
"What's up?"
Beckman quickly explained, "I found this amazing sniper rifle in Queen's possession, but he's asking for a fortune. Yasopp, you got any cash to spare?"
"You're asking me for money? I need to buy sniper rifles too! Besides, you're the vice-captain—your pockets are way deeper than mine." Yasopp's face twisted in reluctance.
"Hey, lend me some money first. I have a feeling—that's definitely a great gun. My Haki Infusion bullet technique depends on it, Yasopp! No, Yasopp-sama, please, lend me some money." Beckman grabbed Yasopp's sleeve, practically begging with tears in his eyes.
Yasopp's face immediately broke into a smug grin.
"Hmph, fine"
As he spoke, Yasopp pulled out a stack of Berries from the bulging pouch at his waist.
The moment the money was out, Beckman snatched it away.
He dashed off after Queen, tossing back a single sentence.
"Thanks, son."
Yasopp was so furious he nearly exploded, immediately sprinting after Beckman.
Soon, Beckman caught up to Queen, waving the stack of bills high in the air as he shouted.
"Queen! Here's over a hundred million Berries—take it and give me that gun!"
Queen stopped in his tracks, glancing at him sideways before drawling.
"A Supreme Grade weapon isn't worth just a hundred million Berries, you know."
"Cut the crap! If you don't agree, I'm not buying!" Beckman snapped.
From behind, Yasopp's furious roar echoed, "Damn you, Beckman! Give me back my money!"
Hearing Yasopp's voice, Queen's attempt to play hardball instantly vanished.
He hastily pulled out the pitch-black sniper rifle and tossed it to Beckman, snatching the stack of bills from his hands before vanishing in the blink of an eye.
"Bastard! My hundred million Berries, and you bought this piece of—huh? Wait, let me see that gun, Beckman."
Yasopp's angry tirade cut off abruptly as his gaze locked onto the rifle in Beckman's hands, eyes glued to it.
"Heh, I told you my gut was right. Yasopp, I've hit the jackpot. This sniper rifle—hey! What are you doing? Let go! I bought this! If you want one, go find Queen yourself—maybe he's got another! Let go!"
"That's my money! You used my money to buy it, so the gun is mine! Let go, let me see it!"
In the distance, Lucky Roux stood with a chicken leg in hand watching blankly as Beckman and Yasopp wrestled in the square—pulling hair, jabbing noses, twisting ears, resorting to every dirty trick in the book.
After a while, the two stood up, covered in dust, each gripping one end of the sniper rifle as they headed toward the shore.
Once they reached the beach, Yasopp pulled a gleaming golden bullet from his ammo pouch and loaded it into the rifle.
"Let me test it first."
He yanked the rifle over, hoisting the two-meter-long weapon with both hands and aiming at the distant sea.
"Tsk… What's this thing made of? It's so heavy—at least three times heavier than any sniper I've used before. But this scope… how is it so clear? I can see over ten miles away, holy hell."
Yasopp felt his heart pounding—pure exhilaration.
Bang!
A spray of water erupted in the distance as a leaping fish was pierced clean through—bullet entering through the left eye and exiting the right, leaving no other wounds.
Only after the fish had already splashed back into the sea did the gunshot reach their ears.
Beckman and Yasopp exchanged stunned glances.
"Supersonic snipe?"
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